Valentine's Day

I am not a big Valentine's Day fan. H and I do the bare minimum, and I'd be okay even if we didn't do that. This year, it was a little hard not to get excited, because of B.

The night before V-Day, I asked B what he was going to tell his classmates the next day. He proudly told me, "Roll Tide!" So much for the Happy Valentine's Day I had taught him. He may not be a big fan of the holiday, either.

We made special Valentines for B's classmates that I saw on www.pinterest.com.  We took individual cereal boxes, tied on a red spoon using pink ribbon, and included a heart tag that said, "I CEREALsly like you." I thought they turned out well:

B's class did not have a Valentine's Day party, but instead had a red tasting party...cookies, cupcakes, apple slices, etc. Aunt Abby made t-shirts for B and EVERYONE else in the class. B liked wearing the same shirt as the rest of the boys in his class:

That night, H and I gave B his Valentine from us. He loved the Elmo card (along with the stickers) and went crazy over the finger paints. B paints constantly at school, but we've never tried it at home. It was a total success (and thank goodness it was washable paint):

It was a great day! I love seeing the world through B's eyes!

Catching Up-Way Up

So far I'm not doing so well in my blogging New Year's resolution, but here we go...

We had a busy January.  B enjoyed getting new "John Deere" cowboy boots and going to the Ringling Brothers circus when it came to town. He even modeled the boots and a shirt made by his Aunt Abby:

B loved the circus! He especially liked the horses and tigers.

It rained lots in January, so we had to grab outside time while we could. One particularly rainy Sunday, we took him to play "ball" on a nearby tennis court:

This past Saturday, in the face of 25 degree temps, we headed to the local Gymboree with cousin B for a music class, which they both loved:

  Both boys enjoyed singing "Miss Mary Mack." B loved dancing with scarves, and cousin B really enjoyed playing the drum. They both enjoyed the "grab bag" of instruments that was brought out at the end.
In other news, we're preparing for B's second birthday party, which is in just THREE WEEKS. I plan to post soon about his most recent likes and dislikes, but suffice it to say right now we play lots and lots of Thomas.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

I am way behind on blogging, and those of you who know me are probably wondering about this blog's title. I am not a cook. I do not like to cook. I am not a good cook. I claim lack of time as a good reason not to cook. But I do like to eat.  Fortunately for me, I have a husband who likes to cook and is a very good one.

At the beginning of this month, Amanda, one of my friends and co-workers, told me about the Sweet as Pie Cooking Club. Basically, there are 5 recipes a month, all from the Pioneer Woman Cooks. Everyone cooks the same recipes and blogs about them. Since I need practice at blogging, and we desperately needed some new food ideas, I was all for it.  H, my husband, cooks, while I do the blogging.

After a busy week, we finally got around to the first recipe this weekend, Chicken Tortilla Soup.  According to H, the hardest part was the chopping and mixing of spices:

H loves to let soups/chilis simmer, so we got to smell a yummy preview all afternoon:

H did not add the second can of black beans that the Pioneer Woman had in her recipe.  According to H, it was not too difficult a recipe.  After sampling, we decided two things: (1) it was a little spicy for B's taste; and (2) it will definitely go on our recipe rotation. Unfortunately, I somehow lost my finished product photos, but I will say that the recommended condiments (tortilla strips, avocado, cheese, and sour cream) definitely made a good soup even better.

And just because it's cute:

Breakfast with Santa

A much delayed post--with an overdue Christmas post to come.  On December 10, we went with friends to Breakfast with Santa at the zoo.  First, we ate breakfast.  Then, Santa made his entrance. Although B had talked up Santa big, he immediately began crying (as did his friend).  He was curious to approach Santa, but was not happy to sit in his lap by himself. He was happy, however, to sit with his cousin and to explore the zoo with his friend.  A few photos taken by my friend Amanda are below:

Not much eating got done after Santa made his entrance.  Below is B with his cousin and Santa:

And then there was the fun of walking around the zoo. It was cold, but we all had fun!

And my favorite of the morning:

We had a great time and will definitely go back next year!